KUALA LUMPUR: The “black spots” on the famous Musang King durians are possibly due to the El Nino phenomenon, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.

The Agriculture and Food Security Minister said although there was no specific study on the impact of the El Nino phenomenon on durians, the occurrence of black spots on durians had led to reductions in their price.

"But now our durians, including the Musang King, have black spots. Some importers have temporarily halted due to this. Could it be due to climate change? But now Musang King is cheaper and more people can enjoy it.

"The supply is high but there are some black spots but I believe it is not dangerous for us to eat," said Mohamad, who is popularly known as Mat Sabu, in response to a question from Nurul Amin Hamid (PN-Padang Terap).

Nurul Amin had asked the Ministry to state the measures taken by the government to mitigate the impact of the El Nino phenomenon on the country's food security, particularly rice cultivation.

On the food security issue, Mohamad said that the government viewed the issue seriously and that it was a global phenomenon.

"Food security has become an agenda globally, and not only in Malaysia.

"Inflation is happening all over the world. For instance in the United Kingdom, the inflation has reached about 11%.

"There are egg shortages in the US and New Zealand. It's a global phenomenon and we take it seriously.

"That is why the chairman of the executive committee on the national food security policy is the Prime Minister himself.

"Among our main agenda is to produce rice on a large scale and we want to expedite it.

"We have started it but the largest project is conducted by the Muda Agriculture Development Authority (Mada).

"Thankfully, Mada has given its full cooperation although the project is implemented in Kedah, which is not one of the states under the unity government.

"We do not care about that, as long as we can guarantee the production is enough for the future. We are hopeful that we can achieve our targets," added Mohamad.